Ground Broken for Improvements at School in Gales Point Manatee

The quality of education for children in Gales Point Manatee is about to improve. Today, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of a brand-new preschool and the refurbishment of the existing primary school structure. The student population is a little under one hundred, but with students attending from surrounding communities and a new road, the school is anticipating some growth. News Five’s Paul Lopez travelled to the village today to find out more about the new project and how it will benefit the community.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Gales Point Manatee is getting a brand-new preschool and a fully refurbished primary school in the community.

 

Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Area Representative, Belize Rural South

“It is not a huge. I think has less than a hundred students. But we would like children from other communities to come here, for example Mullins River, Hope Creek and even from Dangriga, because some of the teachers are from those areas and the bus comes in everyday. But it is important for us to provide the top quality education for our children in this community. It being a rural community and I am very excited. The project has been in the making for about five years now. But the COVID pandemic really set us back for about two years. But we are very hopeful and confident that by December the Christmas present will be fully refurbished primary school and a brand new preschool.”

 

This morning a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the Gales Point Government School compound. The Belize Social Investment Fund made it possible. Executive Director Carlos Tun detailed what can be expected.

 

Carlos Tun, Executive Director, SIF

“One cornerstone of this project is the construction of a school building, meticulously designed to meet the standards outlined by international building codes and standards of the Ministry of Education. Spanning six hundred square feet, the facility will feature an open classroom, storage facilities, restroom for teachers and students, a shower facility and a covered verandah. With inclusivity, we will install an access ramp for individuals with physical disabilities, ensuring that every child has equal access. Furthermore, the preschool will be outfitted with essential toys and equipment, creating an enriching learning environment for our young leaders.”

 

Shermadine Andrewin has been an educator at the primary school for the past fifteen years. She says that the construction of a preschool will greatly increase access to early childhood education in her community. She also expressed the challenges the school faces with limited classrooms and teachers.

 

Shermadine Andrewin, Principal, Gales Point Government School

“I am very excited. I have been here for the past fifteen years and they haven’t been any renovations done to this government school. So I am excited to see we are getting a new preschool and we are getting our government school renovated and I think it wonderful.”

 

Paul Lopez

“What sort of challenges does it alleviate?”

 

Shermadine Andrewin

“In the past we had the dilapidated at the first preschool. We had animals, insects with the teachers and students within the building. We didn’t have our own bathroom and now we will have everything we deserve as teachers and students here at Gales Point Government School. We had multi grade and monograde because it is not only multi. We have infant one and two together, standard one and two together, and we have standard three, four, five and six separate.”

 

Reporter

“Are you hoping that one day the primary school will get more classrooms so everybody could have their own classrooms?”

 

Shermadine Andrewin

“Yes that would be very great and I am also a teacher principal. So it would be very good if I can only be an administrator or a teacher.”

 

And, according to Jason Altschaft, the Chairman of the village, the recently completed Coast Plain Highway has made access to the community and the school much easier for surrounding villages.

 

Jason Altschaft, Chairman, Gales Point Manatee Village

“The fact that enough people saw that this village is worthy of focused education on the young and growing community, that is priceless because we didn’t have to fight for it other than to stay up and say yes we want it, we want it, we want it. So, I think it is going to be excellent. We have always been known as a high population in youth because a lot of time parents had to go out and work and they would leave the children with the grandparents. That dynamic is now changing. With the road changing, it is going to allow more people to come and live back in the village and work and stay with the family.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.